Descriptions

This paper presents a parallel implementation and validation of an accurate and efficient
three-dimensional computational model (3D numerical wave tank), based on fully nonlinear
potential flow (FNPF) theory, and its extension to incorporate the motion of a laboratory
snake piston wavemaker, as well as an absorbing beach, to simulate experiments in
a large-scale 3D wave basin. This work is part of a long-term effort to develop a
“virtual” computational wave basin to facilitate and complement large-scale physical
wave-basin experiments. The code is based on a higher-order boundary-element method
combined with a fast multipole algorithm (FMA). Particular efforts were devoted to making
the code efficient for large-scale simulations using high-performance computing platforms.
The numerical simulation capability can be tailored to serve as an optimization
tool at the planning and detailed design stages of large-scale experiments at a specific
basin by duplicating its exact physical and algorithmic features. To date, waves that can
be generated in the numerical wave tank (NWT) include solitary, cnoidal, and airy waves.
In this paper we detail the wave-basin model, mathematical formulation, wave generation,
and analyze the performance of the parallelized FNPF-BEM-FMA code as a function
of numerical parameters. Experimental or analytical comparisons with NWT results
are provided for several cases to assess the accuracy and applicability of the numerical
model to practical engineering problems. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4007597]
Keywords: numerical wave tank, three dimensional, wave-basin experiment, fully
nonlinear waves, potential flow, piston wavemaker, high-performance computing, boundary
element method, fast multipole algorithm